I see no possible hope of our return. If there were a high tree

near the edge of the plateau we might drop a return bridge

across, but there is none within fifty yards. Our united

strength could not carry a trunk which would serve our purpose.

The rope, of course, is far too short that we could descend by it.

No, our position is hopeless--hopeless!

CHAPTER X

"The most Wonderful Things have Happened"

The most wonderful things have happened and are continually

happening to us. All the paper that I possess consists of five

old note-books and a lot of scraps, and I have only the one

stylographic pencil; but so long as I can move my hand I will

continue to set down our experiences and impressions, for, since

we are the only men of the whole human race to see such things,

It is of enormous importance that I should record them whilst

they are fresh in my memory and before that fate which seems to

be constantly impending does actually overtake us. Whether Zambo

can at last take these letters to the river, or whether I shall

myself in some miraculous way carry them back with me, or,

finally, whether some daring explorer, coming upon our tracks

with the advantage, perhaps, of a perfected monoplane, should

find this bundle of manuscript, in any case I can see that what I

am writing is destined to immortality as a classic of true adventure.

On the morning after our being trapped upon the plateau by

the villainous Gomez we began a new stage in our experiences.

The first incident in it was not such as to give me a very

favorable opinion of the place to which we had wandered. As I

roused myself from a short nap after day had dawned, my eyes fell

upon a most singular appearance upon my own leg. My trouser had

slipped up, exposing a few inches of my skin above my sock.

On this there rested a large, purplish grape. Astonished at the

sight, I leaned forward to pick it off, when, to my horror, it burst

between my finger and thumb, squirting blood in every direction.

My cry of disgust had brought the two professors to my side.

"Most interesting," said Summerlee, bending over my shin.

"An enormous blood-tick, as yet, I believe, unclassified."

"The first-fruits of our labors," said Challenger in his booming,

pedantic fashion. "We cannot do less than call it Ixodes Maloni.

The very small inconvenience of being bitten, my young friend,

cannot, I am sure, weigh with you as against the glorious

privilege of having your name inscribed in the deathless roll

of zoology. Unhappily you have crushed this fine specimen at

the moment of satiation."

"Filthy vermin!" I cried.

Professor Challenger raised his great eyebrows in protest, and

placed a soothing paw upon my shoulder.

"You should cultivate the scientific eye and the detached

scientific mind," said he. "To a man of philosophic temperament

like myself the blood-tick, with its lancet-like proboscis and

its distending stomach, is as beautiful a work of Nature as the

peacock or, for that matter, the aurora borealis. It pains me to

hear you speak of it in so unappreciative a fashion. No doubt,

with due diligence, we can secure some other specimen."

"There can be no doubt of that," said Summerlee, grimly, "for one

has just disappeared behind your shirt-collar."

Challenger sprang into the air bellowing like a bull, and tore

frantically at his coat and shirt to get them off. Summerlee and

I laughed so that we could hardly help him. At last we exposed

that monstrous torso (fifty-four inches, by the tailor's tape).

His body was all matted with black hair, out of which jungle we

picked the wandering tick before it had bitten him. But the

bushes round were full of the horrible pests, and it was clear

that we must shift our camp.

But first of all it was necessary to make our arrangements with

the faithful negro, who appeared presently on the pinnacle with a

number of tins of cocoa and biscuits, which he tossed over to us.

Of the stores which remained below he was ordered to retain as

much as would keep him for two months. The Indians were to have

the remainder as a reward for their services and as payment for

taking our letters back to the Amazon. Some hours later we saw

them in single file far out upon the plain, each with a bundle on

his head, making their way back along the path we had come.

Zambo occupied our little tent at the base of the pinnacle, and

there he remained, our one link with the world below.

And now we had to decide upon our immediate movements. We shifted

our position from among the tick-laden bushes until we came to a

small clearing thickly surrounded by trees upon all sides.

There were some flat slabs of rock in the center, with an

excellent well close by, and there we sat in cleanly comfort

while we made our first plans for the invasion of this new country.

Birds were calling among the foliage--especially one with a

peculiar whooping cry which was new to us--but beyond these

sounds there were no signs of life.

Our first care was to make some sort of list of our own stores,

so that we might know what we had to rely upon. What with the

things we had ourselves brought up and those which Zambo had sent

across on the rope, we were fairly well supplied. Most important

of all, in view of the dangers which might surround us, we had our

four rifles and one thousand three hundred rounds, also a shot-gun,

but not more than a hundred and fifty medium pellet cartridges.

In the matter of provisions we had enough to last for several

weeks, with a sufficiency of tobacco and a few scientific

implements, including a large telescope and a good field-glass.

All these things we collected together in the clearing, and as

a first precaution, we cut down with our hatchet and knives a

number of thorny bushes, which we piled round in a circle some

fifteen yards in diameter. This was to be our headquarters for

the time--our place of refuge against sudden danger and the

guard-house for our stores. Fort Challenger, we called it.

IT was midday before we had made ourselves secure, but the heat

was not oppressive, and the general character of the plateau, both

in its temperature and in its vegetation, was almost temperate.

The beech, the oak, and even the birch were to be found among

the tangle of trees which girt us in. One huge gingko tree,

topping all the others, shot its great limbs and maidenhair

foliage over the fort which we had constructed. In its shade

we continued our discussion, while Lord John, who had quickly

taken command in the hour of action, gave us his views.

"So long as neither man nor beast has seen or heard us, we are

safe," said he. "From the time they know we are here our

troubles begin. There are no signs that they have found us out

as yet. So our game surely is to lie low for a time and spy out

the land. We want to have a good look at our neighbors before we

get on visitin' terms."

"But we must advance," I ventured to remark.

"By all means, sonny my boy! We will advance. But with

common sense. We must never go so far that we can't get back

to our base. Above all, we must never, unless it is life or

death, fire off our guns."

"But YOU fired yesterday," said Summerlee.

"Well, it couldn't be helped. However, the wind was strong and

blew outwards. It is not likely that the sound could have

traveled far into the plateau. By the way, what shall we call

this place? I suppose it is up to us to give it a name?"

There were several suggestions, more or less happy, but

Challenger's was final.

"It can only have one name," said he. "It is called after the

pioneer who discovered it. It is Maple White Land."

Maple White Land it became, and so it is named in that chart

which has become my special task. So it will, I trust, appear